Going Home
by SpaceRoses
Summary: Megumi looks at her past while trying to move on with her life after Sano leaves. SanoxMegumi
1. Chapter 1: Going Home

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Rurouni Kenshin and I don't own Sano and Megumi. They belong to someone who isn't me.

**Author's Note: **This story is set about six years after Sano leaves for his world traveling and the Kenshin-gumi splits up. I have ignored the "Reflections" OVA timeline, which has Kenshin leaving. In my story he is safely in Tokyo with his family and that's were he's staying. There are flashbacks in this story, they are written in italics. Read and Review if you like. Flames will be given to Shishio. Thanks!

**Going Home**

Takani Megumi slowly walked towards the clinic in Aizu, nodding at the familiar faces in the market place, but not really noticing them.

She had been working at the clinic in Aizu for six years, she had left Tokyo shortly after Sano had left and Kenshin and Kaoru had gotten married, but she still got lost easily.

Aizu had never really felt like home to her since she had returned, even though she had been born there.

'Maybe I should drop by the dojo and see how Kaoru is faring.' Megumi thought before she remembered the Kamiya dojo was very far from Aizu.

"Stupid Kitsune." She muttered under her breath, and stopped, "Kitsune" was a nickname Sano had given her, one that she had always hated. What had gotten into her?

Megumi began to quicken her pace when she saw the clinic ahead of her.

It was late afternoon so she'd be the only doctor there, but she didn't mind. She needed time alone to think and get her mind straightened out.

Over the past few weeks, everything had reminded her of her friends and life in Tokyo, and with a start she realized she was homesick.

"Megumi, your life in Tokyo was a chapter that's closed; now you have to look ahead towards your future." Megumi whispered to herself, as she placed some of the herbs she had just bought at the market on a cutting board. She was trying to make her future look bright but Megumi knew it was very bleak in reality.

She was already almost 33, well past marriageable age. It wasn't that men hadn't asked for her hand, it was that she had turned them all down.

Her friends often asked her why she did that and she always told them the truth. Marriage was a commitment, one that she wouldn't make lightly and the only man she had ever wanted to marry was far away from Japan.

"Sano's probably forgotten that I even exist, it would be just like that stupid rooster head!" Megumi began to cut the herbs, enjoying the spicy scent as it tickled her nose, "Hmm, it smells like Dr. Gensai's clinic, this is the herb I put on Sano's hand after he cut it saving me." The memory rose unbidden into her mind

_She held the knife, aiming it towards her throat and hesitated. There really wasn't any other choice for her; she had killed so many people with her opium it would be wrong for her to live. _

_Gritting her teeth, she closed her eyes and prepared to kill herself. Suddenly the door swung back and crashed into the wall, "What are you doing, you crazy woman?" a loud voice demanded. _

_With a soft cry Megumi lowered the knife and turned to face the man who had just run in, "There isn't any other way for me. I'm not worthy to live." _

_Megumi looked away from the man and closed her eyes but before she could cut her throat the man grabbed the blade with his hand and threw it away from them. _

With a gasp Megumi was broken out of her thoughts when the blade she was using bit into her hand. She stared blankly at the blood dripping out of the wound, "It's the same place where Sano cut his hand on the knife I was going the kill myself with."

With a shake of her head, she washed the wound and bandaged it carefully, "Megumi, you can't afford to be day dreaming while you're using knifes," she scolded herself.

She turned back to finish her work but she found that she had chopped all of the herbs she had taken out. She knelt before the table and with a few sweep of her hand; she brushed all of the pieces into a small basket.

"Before I grind them, I think I'll make a cup of tea. It will help me focus."

The thought of tea triggered another memory for her, a memory very close to her heart.

_She had been invited to the dojo for dinner, an invitation she had been glad to accept._

_The meal was over and she was preparing to go back to the clinic. "Be careful Megumi-dono." Kenshin said in soft voice. _

_Megumi smiled though she knew what he was referring to. _

_Since more boats had begun docking at Tokyo, it was getting dangerous for women to go anywhere alone, "Don't worry. I'll be fine." She assured them calmly. _

"'_Course you will be," a voice drawled. _

"_Oh?" Megumi raised one eyebrow and faced Sano, who was leaning against the wall._

"_Because I'm going with you," Sano finished his sentence as he straightened up. _

"_That's very kind of you, but you don't have to do it for me." _

"_I'm not. I have to go back to my own house, and I won't mind the walk. So are we leaving or are we going to argue about it?" _

_Megumi could see she wasn't going to win this argument so she tightened her shawl across her shoulders, "I'm ready." _

_They walked into the yard of the dojo together, and Megumi shivered, "It's very cold tonight," she stated, "Maybe once we reach the clinic you could come in for a cup of tea before you go back to your house." _

_Sano paused, "You'd actually trust me enough to let me into the clinic?" _

_Megumi fixed him with a glare, "You come in their often enough to annoy me, why would you consider being invited in any different?" she snapped. _

"_It's just that if you invite me in, it seems to indicate that you like me. Do you?" _

_Megumi's cheeks flushed. "A little."_

"_Only a little?" It was Sano's turn to raise an eyebrow as he watched Megumi nervously begin kneading her shawl. "Maybe more then a little," Megumi admitted. _

_Sano smirked at her admission and lapsed into silence as they walked a little further but Megumi paused at the gate of the dojo, "But I insist you come in for some tea when we reach the clinic." _

_Sano rolled his eyes but turned to face her, "And after we have the tea are you expecting me to kiss you?" he inquired sarcastically. _

"_Only if you want too!" Megumi heard her voice rising at pace with her blush._

"_And if I did want too, what would you do?" _

"_I don't know. I've never been kissed before." She shouted in a flustered voice._

"_Then why should we waste time drinking a cup of tea? Why don't I kiss you here?" Before Megumi could answer, Sano had pulled her into a kiss. _

_Megumi pulled back slightly at first but she quickly closed the distance between them again. _

_She heard someone laughing from the dojo, but she ignored it. 'Nothing is going to break this moment,' Megumi decided silently but far too soon for her taste, Sano pulled back, "Come on Kitsune, we'd better get going." _

Megumi blinked, and focused her eyes on the green herbs in the bowl, "Maybe I'll go back to Tokyo for a visit," she spoke in a soft voice, nodding with satisfaction.

As she stood up from the table to fix a cup of tea, she continued to talk to herself, "I shouldn't be like this. I'm so distracted…" her voice trailed off as she thought of Sano again.

She missed him. When she was alone, she could admit she missed him.

She had pretended to be indifferent when he had left but the truth was she almost died.

_Megumi turned her back on the man and began to grind some herbs into a powder so he couldn't see the tears that were filling her eyes. _

_Sano stood behind her, his signature red headband and white jacket had been exchanged for more western style clothes and she hardly recognized him. _

"_I know you don't understand Kitsune, but I won't be gone for the rest of our lives. I'll come back." _

_Megumi tried to ignore the slightly pleading note in his voice, but the words he wasn't saying rang in her head, "Wait for me Kitsune. Please still be waiting for me when I get back here." _

_Megumi took a deep breath to steady her voice, "I understand why you're leaving Sano. You beat up a member of the government and they want to arrest you." _

_She wasn't looking at Sano but she winced as the words came out. Her tone was more biting then she had intended and she knew it had wounded him, though he'd never have admitted it._

_Sano sighed, "I don't know if you even care Megumi, I don't know if you've ever cared. But I need to tell you this before I leave. I love you. I don't know if you return my feelings but I wanted you to know before I left and I wanted to give you this." _

_He stood behind her, waiting for her to acknowledge him but she didn't, she just looked at the ground, trying to control her emotions._

_She heard him sigh and walk towards the door and she turned to stop him, but he was already gone. _

_And on the floor was his headband. _

_Megumi picked it up and twined it around trembling fingers. _

_She suddenly wanted to run after him and catch him before he boarded the boat but she didn't. _

_She was too proud. _

Megumi bit her lip as the last thought hit her like a slap. Her pride had cost her a lot in her life.

Maybe if she had told Sano she had loved him sooner, he would never have gone back to his home town. Maybe if she had told him, he would never have had to leave in the first place.

Megumi walked over to the large window that faced towards Tokyo and leaned her hot forehead against the wood, closing her eyes.

She began to scold herself in a soft voice, "Megumi, you're acting like a love sick child. Even if Sano is still alive, he's most likely already married to a woman who isn't too stubborn and proud to admit her feelings. He deserves better then a woman who killed people, including one of his friends."

As her voice dropped off, she remembered how it felt when he held her and winced at her traitorous mind.

"I don't care about him. In fact I never liked him." Megumi told herself, uttering the lies in an effort to convince herself she was telling the truth but it didn't work.

With a sigh of frustration, she slammed her cut palm onto the window ledge and winced at the pain. 'At least I can still feel it when I hurt myself,' she thought bitterly.

The sound of someone walking into the clinic disturbed her self-pitying thoughts.

'Who'd be coming here now?' she thought suddenly irritable, all she had wanted was to be left alone.

A sick feeling in her stomach rose as she remembered what had been happening to the other businesses in town. They had been robbed, and anyone who was unfortunate enough to be in the way was killed.

Her eyes darted around the room and she saw the knife on the table.

Stepping across the room, she grabbed it and held it in front of herself, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. 'I'm not going to die here!' she whispered to herself.

The creaking outside of the room distracted her and as she turned to face the threat, she didn't hear the main door to the room open, "Kitsune?"

Megumi screamed in surprise and whirled around, the knife dropping from her hand and clattering on the floor as she gaped at the person who had just come in, "Sano?" she managed to gasp.

In a minute Sano had crossed the room and grabbed her into a tight hug, "I told you I'd come back," he whispered into her hair.

Megumi could only nod as she clung to him, "I was so worried for you. You never wrote to me, and I never heard anything about you so I thought you'd died or was in trouble or the police had caught up with you." she finally released him just a little, "Isn't it dangerous for you to be here?"

Sano grinned, "Nope. Kenshin sent me a letter last year that the cops had stopped looking for me but I didn't receive it until a few months ago. I'm home now."

Sano released her and stepped back just a little, "You have no idea how much I missed you, Kitsune."

Megumi felt a smile pulling at her lips, "I think I might know how you felt," she admitted, closing the gap between them again, "Sano, before you left you told me you loved me. Do you still?" she whispered.

Sano shifted a little and suddenly looked nervous, "I still do…" his voice trailed off and Megumi felt her spirit drop as she waited for him to finish his sentence.

Sano nervously ran a hand through his hair, 'I've written this and done this a thousand times in my head, why can't I just say it?' he thought, clearing his throat. "I wanted to ask you this before I left, but I couldn't. Megumi, would you be my wife?"

Before Megumi could answer, he started talking again, "I don't have a lot to offer you but I got a job in Tokyo this morning and I'll take care of you. You might already be married or engaged, I don't know…" Megumi placed a finger on his lips to stop his rambling, "My answer is 'yes' Sano."

Sano pulled her into another hug and as he spoke of the future they could build together, she closed her eyes and leaned against him, feeling a part of her heart repairing itself.

Soon she would be moving back to Tokyo, she would have a husband, and she would finally be back with the people who had become her friends and people very dear to her.

Soon she would be back with her family.

_Fin. _


	2. Chapter 2: On the way Home

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of these characters, they all belong the Watsuki. _

_**Author's Note: **This is the second half of "Going Home" telling Sano's side of the story. I wasn't planning on writing this but my wonderful reviewers asked for more Sano/Megumi stories from me and who was I to argue? This is for all you people that read my stories and give me reviews and criticism. Thanks! Flashbacks are again written in italics. _

**On the way home**

The tall lanky figure stepped onto the dock and paused to take a deep breath of the salt tinted air.

Sagara Sanosuke was home. After six long years he was finally standing in Tokyo harbor again.

He had traveled through the world and he had grown and changed to fit into it, but would he still fit into the world he had left behind?

Had he really changed that much? Sure he had grown up and matured but he was still the same old Sano, right? So he wasn't so eager to get into fights anymore and just because he had gotten a job from one of the other passengers on the boat, he still believed in most of the same things he used to.

Sano shook his head tiredly and readjusted the pack he had slung over his shoulder.

He just needed to get back into town and tell his friends he was back.

As he walked he thought about the people he had left behind.

Had Kenshin and Kaoru gotten married and did they have any kids?

How was Yahiko? By Sano's count the kid was nearly twenty-one.

And how was Megumi?

Sano shook his head again when Megumi surfaced in his mind. The foxy doctor had never been far from his thoughts all the time he had been gone, but over the past few days she was appearing more often.

'I don't know you've been thinking about her so much. For all you know she's married with a couple of kids, she's engaged to a nice man or...she's dead.' Sano frowned at the thought and his pace instinctively quickened.

Sano was not known to have an overactive imagine but Megumi was the one exception to that rule.

'She probably doesn't even like you, if her attitude the last time you saw her is still as chilly now. Yeah she kissed you once but maybe you were just reading too much into it. You haven't always been the closest of friends.' He reminded himself as a scene from his past began to play through his mind.

_Sano paused outside of the locked door and listened to the terrified breathing coming from inside. _

_With a well aimed punch, he broke the lock and pushed the door open revealing a young woman trying to kill herself. _

_Sano froze; it was her, the drug maker. The one who killed his friend._

'_Let her slice her throat, it serves her right. If she hadn't made that opium he might still be alive,' the callous thoughts were drowned out by a more merciful voice, 'It wasn't her. She didn't force him to buy the drugs; he did it because he wanted to. She didn't even want to make it.' _

"_What are you doing, you crazy woman?" Sano demanded without thinking. _

_The woman turned and looked at him with sad eyes, "There isn't any other way. I'm not worthy to live," she almost whispered the words as she turned her back on him and brought the knife closer to her throat. _

_Before he could think, Sano crossed the room and grabbed the blade of the knife, wrestling it away from her and threw it across the room._

Sano was broken from his thoughts when he ran into a smaller man.

As he began to apologize and step around the man a childish voice interrupted him, "Touchan, somebody just ran into you."

The man began to turn around, "I know Kenji-chan."

Apology forgotten, Sano grinned, "Hey Kenshin!"

Kenshin tilted his head up to look at Sano, "Sano! When did you get back?"

"I just got off the boat," Sano looked at Kenji, "Who's the kid?"

Kenshin's smile grew slightly, "This is my son, Kenji."

"Your…son," Sano knew this kid was Kenshin's but actually hearing it from Kenshin's mouth was different.

Before they could say anything else a woman came out of a nearby shop and Kenji's smile grew bigger, "Kaachan!"

Sano tried not to stare but Kaoru looked so…different.

She had her hair pulled back into a neat bun and she looked happy and complete.

She smiled when she saw Sano, "Sano! I didn't know you were back! How've you been?"

"Slow down Jou-chan." Sano laughed and answered her question, "I'm fine. As soon as I got Kenshin's letter I took the first ship I could get back."

"Why don't you come over to the dojo? We're just getting ready to make lunch." Kaoru suggested.

Sano rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, "I'd like to but I need to stop by my place first and see what Yahiko's done to it. Don't worry, I'll stop by soon."

They talked for a few more minutes before going their separate ways and Sano soon found himself turning onto Ruffin's Row.

As he waited for a slow cart to move out of his way, Sano found himself standing on a corner where one of his worst memories took place.

Just thinking about what might have happened still made his blood run cold.

_She should never have been there. Ruffin's Row was a place only men and desperate women went but never proper girls. It was simply too dangerous. _

_And the danger was increased if you were an attractive woman. _

_Megumi gulped and looked at the two men in front of her, "Leave me alone," she ordered, adopting the most commanding tone she could but the men just laughed. _

"_What's a nice girl like you doing on Ruffin Row?" one of them drunkenly inquired. _

_Megumi wouldn't answer them but the truth was she had come to see a sick man who couldn't make it to the clinic. Though it was her day off, she couldn't ignore the pleading in the granddaughter's voice. _

_The other man reached out and grabbed her arm, "Maybe we should walk you home," he leered. _

_Megumi could smell the sake on his breath and her pulse quickened, "Let go of my arm. I'm a doctor and I'm visiting a sick man." _

_The first man cocked his head to one side, "Say…you're that doctor who works at the clinic with that old guy. The one they say can cure anything." _

_Megumi pulled back from the man who was holding her arm but he only pulled her closer, "I've been feeling pretty strange lately. Maybe you should make sure I'm healthy." _

_Megumi wasn't sure what happened, only that the man who had been gripping her arm was suddenly pulled off her and thrown into the opposite wall and slumped down it, unconscious. _

_The first drunk's face got pale as Sano grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him off his feet, "Where you bothering the doctor?" he demanded and the man frantically shook his head, "No San. We were just seeing if she needed help." _

_Sano's eyes narrowed, "It didn't look like that to me," he dropped the man on the ground and knelt next to him to be on eye level, "Understand that if I ever see you bothering this woman or any other I won't be nearly as easy on you. Take this as a warning." _

_The man scrambled to his feet and ran away down the alley, thankful he was still alive and Sano looked at Megumi, "Did those men hurt you Kitsune?" he demanded. _

_Megumi shook her head, suddenly aware of the fact that her kimono sleeve was torn and revealing part of her upper arm. _

_Embarrassed, she pulled it up, "Thank you for saving me from those men. I'm not sure what might have happened if you hadn't been there," she murmured, feeling relief and tears begin to fill her. _

_Without warning she began to cry and Sano protectively wrapped his arms around her, "It's all right. Those men are gone and I'm here," he whispered into her hair. _

_At that moment he was aware of something strange; he wasn't angry at her anymore for what she had done. Feeling her shake from the sobs that tore from her throat, he was instead overcome with a fierce wave of protectiveness, "Don't worry Kitsune. No mater what happens I'll always take care of you," he promised her, meaning every word. _

He had broken that promise, he hadn't always been there. Sure he was always thinking about her and if he could have he would have never stopped protecting her but he had had to leave.

He opened the door to his house, his head still bowed under the weight of his thoughts.

"Sano!"

Sano looked at the young man who had grabbed him in a tight hug, "Yahiko, you're cutting off my air," he gasped and Yahiko loosened his grip, "Sorry! I'm just glad you're here."

Sano stepped back from Yahiko and looked at him, 'Dang, the little punk has grown up,' he realized, the image of the little boy laughing as he called Kaoru "busu" being replaced by the older Yahiko.

Yahiko had grown at least another foot, his black hair looking even wilder then he remembered.

"Sano, what's wrong?" Yahiko asked concern plain on his face.

"Nothing. Just thinking."

"A lot has changed around here since you left. Kenshin and Kaoru got married and they had a kid, Tsubame said she'd marry me, and Doctor Gensia hired another doctor at the clinic so he could retire…"

Sano was walking through the house, making note of the changes Yahiko had made and the things he had repaired as the younger man continued to talk.

There was one person Sano didn't hear about though so he finally asked, "How's Megumi? Is she still working at the clinic?"

Yahiko's face fell just a little, "Didn't you know?"

Sano's blood began to run a little colder, "Know what?" he demanded.

"She moved right after you left. She went back to Aizu and she only writes once in a while so I don't know how's she's been."

Sano was opening the door before Yahiko had finished talking, "Sano, where are you going?"

"To Aizu," he said simply as he walked down the street, intent on getting there as quickly as possible.

8888

The next morning found Sano in Aizu. He had used a small part of his saved money to buy a train ticket there, his need to see Megumi outweighing his dislike and fear of trains.

He looked around the unfamiliar town and considered asking directions to the clinic she worked at but that would be too obvious.

Instead he decided he'd just find and follow her.

But before he could find her he had one very important visit to make.

8888

A cold wind blew across Sano as he stood in front of the grave, his hands clenched in front of him.

"Takina-san, I feel like a real idiot talking to you like this but I want to explain things to you before I even see your daughter again," Sano began nervously, hoping no one was watching and hoping Megumi wouldn't suddenly show up to visit her father's grave.

Content he was alone he continued, "I love your daughter and I want to ask her to marry me. I know I'm not rich and she deserves someone better but there's no harm in trying, right?"

Silence greeted his question and he began to talk again, "I'd be good to her. I'd love her and I'd never hurt her or allow anyone to hurt our family. I'd take care of her. All that stuff you've probably heard about me being a freeloader, forget it. I got a job this morning repairing boats and I'd support her."

He looked up from the ground he'd been staring at to look at the stone like it was a real person, "I've traveled some and I've known a lot of women. Ones that liked me, ones that hated me and some that were determined to marry me but I've only felt like this for your daughter. She's been on my mind every day but you probably already knew that."

He took a deep breath and plunged into the end, "I'm going to ask her to marry me when I find her and I'm asking for your blessing. And if I ever do anything to harm her you can come back from the afterlife or wherever you are and you can do whatever you want too to me."

Sano waited for a few minutes but nothing else happened and he finally turned to go when an almost inaudible voice drifted over to him, "Good luck."

Sano began to grin. Maybe Megumi would agree to marry him.

8888

As the sun began to sink lower in the sky, Sano watched Megumi walk through the town to the clinic.

He had found her earlier in the day and had been following her, waiting for the right time to talk to her.

All the care he was putting into his observation reminded him of an event that had happened not long before he had had to leave.

_Sano lounged against the wall, content to watch Megumi walk through the market place, her medicine kit firmly in her hand when he became aware of a couple of men talking near him. _

"_I wouldn't mind taking that little doctor for myself; I think she'd suit me." _

"_Her? The Fox? She'd never go for you. Besides I was thinking of dong that." _

"_Look, she's going into that side street. Why don't you go talk to her right know?" _

_As the man moved to get up Sano stepped in front of him. _

_He sneered, "Can I help you Sano?" _

"_I couldn't help overhearing that you were going to talk to the Lady Doctor and I can tell you right now that if you try to take her you'll be the next person she's treating in the clinic. If you live that long." _

"_What does it matter to you? Isn't it her business who she associates with?" _

"_Yeah it is except that you had no interest in asking her. You were just going to attack her. And I can't allow that." _

_The man snorted and brushed past Sano who quietly followed him. _

_The man turned down the street Megumi had taken and paused as he spotted her coming out a doorway, bidding good-bye to the people inside. _

_Before he could take a step forward a hand grabbed the back of his shirt and Sano leaned over to whisper in his ear, "If you touch one hair on her head, you'll be finding yourself in a hospital." _

_The man tired to pull out of Sano's grasp and Sano cracked his fist into the side of the man's head and stunned him before dropping him into an alley, "I told you," Sano shrugged as he walked back onto the main street, unobserved by Megumi. _

_It became a habit of his, to follow her on her routes and keep an eye out for danger, stopping only when she was safely back at Doctor Gensia's house for the night. _

_And she never knew._

Megumi finally went back to the clinic and went inside.

Sano sat down on the far edge of the porch and rubbed his forehead, how was he going to propose?

He could get onto one knee but that was too mushy, besides there was always the danger he'd not be able to stand back up and then he'd not only look like an idiot, he'd be stuck too.

Possibilities played through his mind as he fell into a light doze.

With a start he woke up and bolted onto his feet, what if Megumi had already left?

He walked to the front of the clinic and tried the door, and found to his relief it was unlocked.

He opened it gently and stepped inside, his worn boots sounding entirely too loud in the silent building.

He heard a noise in one of the other rooms and tried to move quietly, fearful of waking any patients that might be asleep.

He reached the door and eased it open, sticking his head in.

There she was with her back turned to the door, "Kitsune!"

Megumi jumped, screamed, and dropped the knife she had been holding, "Sano!" she gasped.

In a moment he had crossed the room and grabbed her in a tight hug, "I told you I'd come back."

And he had.

And in a few minutes he'd be putting his heart on the line by finally proposing to her.

'Here goes nothing,' his mind thought wirily.

_Fin. _

_Author's Note 2: For those who are reading "No Turning Back" this story sets up the relationship Sano and Megumi share in that story. Thanks for reading and review if you like. I accept unsigned ones! Thanks!_


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